“No, because we can get the information—legally—in other ways. It’ll just take more time. It’s an interesting case, and I guess I’ve been a bit bored lately. I mean, not bored—I love spending time with Jess. But RCK hasn’t sent me anything fun to work on because I’m not traveling right now, and while I can work from my desk on some projects, I’m getting cabin fever. I’ve been able to get out and do what I’m really good at, and that feels … well, a lot better than sitting around here all day.”

She took his hand. She’d known that some of the decisions he’d made—mostly for Jesse’s well-being—had been difficult. Not hard to make, but sometimes hard to live with. For a guy as smart and active as Sean, no matter how willing he was to stay home and take care of the house and the people in it, he needed an outlet.

“Max couldn’t have hired anyone better,” she said.

“I know.” He smiled and kissed her.

“Be careful. Max doesn’t always follow the law—and I don’t want you caught up in her trespasses.”

“I’ll stay on the right side of the legal line—at least, I promise not to cross it.”

“You’re meeting her tomorrow?”

“Most likely—depends what she gets out of the lawyer tonight. But I suspect he’ll help. Publicity will most likely help his client. And he’s new and green behind the ears.”

“He’ll be no match for Max.”

“Perhaps. Plus, I’m doing a deeper background on Victoria Mills. For what it’s worth, I think the police did a great job up until Grant confessed. Then the investigation just shut down. On the surface, it looked good, but dig a little and there are a lot of questions that the police haven’t answered.”

“Or they haven’t publicized the answers.”

Sean kissed her neck. “You had a long day.”

“I’m tired,” she admitted.

“Swim?”

“Too tired to swim.”

“Hot tub?”

It was tempting … “I may fall asleep.”

“I’ll carry you to bed.”

She almost laughed. “Actually, the hot tub sounds like just what I need.”

Chapter Seven

Max returned to her hotel and checked her email. When she first arrived that afternoon she’d unpacked and set up her temporary office. She detested living out of suitcases and made a point of getting comfortable in any hotel, even if she was staying for a short time. She hoped this trip was short but feared she’d be here all week, or longer.

Her life had certainly changed over the last seven months; last year she wouldn’t have thought twice about being away from New York for a couple weeks. Now even two days felt like an inconvenience.